Exclusion in Texas linked to reduction in long-acting reversible, injectable contraceptives
FRIDAY, Feb. 5, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Exclusion of the Planned Parenthood affiliates in Texas is associated with a reduction in the provision of contraception, according to a study published online Feb. 3 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Amanda J. Stevenson, from the University of Texas at Austin, and colleagues examined the impact of Planned Parenthood exclusion in Texas, effective Jan. 1, 2013. Data were included for all program claims from 2011 through 2014 to assess changes in the number of claims for contraceptives for two years before and after the exclusion.
The researchers observed relative reductions of 35.5 percent for long-acting reversible contraceptives and of 31.1 percent for injectable contraceptives (both P < 0.001) after the Planned Parenthood exclusion. During this period there was no significant change in the number of claims for short-acting hormonal contraceptive methods. For injectable contraceptives there was a decrease in the percentage of women who returned for a subsequent on-time contraceptive injection among those whose injections were due before versus after the exclusion (56.9 to 37.7 percent) for women in counties with Planned Parenthood affiliates. There was an increase in rate of childbirth covered by Medicaid in counties with Planned Parenthood affiliates within 18 months after the claim.
“The exclusion of Planned Parenthood affiliates from a state-funded replacement for a Medicaid fee-for-service program in Texas was associated with adverse changes in the provision of contraception,” the authors write.
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